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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28117569">ugly, vulgar luck.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginnyx/pseuds/Jolly%20Camaleonte'>Jolly Camaleonte (ginnyx)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Metallica</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Supernatural (TV) Fusion, Blink And You Miss It Slash, Gen, Metallica are hunters, Mild Hurt/Comfort, blink and you miss it mild gore, there are wounds but nothing descriptive</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 23:33:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,106</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28117569</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginnyx/pseuds/Jolly%20Camaleonte</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p><i>Imagine a story where everything goes wrong,<br/>where everyone has their back against the wall,<br/>where everyone is in pain and acting selfishly<br/>because if they don’t, they’ll die.<br/>Imagine a story, not of good against evil,<br/>but of need against need against need,<br/>where everyone is<br/>at cross-purposes and everyone is to blame.</i><br/>—Richard Siken</p><p>Metallica Supernatural!AU<br/>(Aka, band dynamics but make it twisted, fucked up and buried enough that every tender touch happens only in a bunker 15 feet underground.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James Hetfield &amp; Cliff Burton, James Hetfield &amp; Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett &amp; Cliff Burton, Kirk Hammett &amp; Lars Ulrich</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>ugly, vulgar luck.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I did not re-read this, I wrote it down last night in one go. I love Supernatural, I'm a nerd and I love the lore. This is very self indulgent because I loved imagining what their relationship could be in such a fucked up universe... and if any of them would be really completely human (spoiler: they are not). So, take this for what it is: very dark fun. Also, there is some pre-slash, kind of.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"LARS!"</p><p>James' voice reaches him even before the metal sound of the bunker's door shutting close does.</p><p>Lars is there by the time they are halfway down the stairs, even when running on the cast on his foot, the IV still in the crook of the elbow.</p><p>"James? Everything all— ah, <em>shit</em>."</p><p>He thumps over to them, waiting at the end of the steps, arms extended, eyes fretting over Kirk's shape.</p><p>Kirk's half unconscious shape, half hanging on James, half on Cliff.</p><p>"No, no, we got this: go fetch the blood, now."</p><p>And the sight must have been upsetting enough, because Lars doesn't ask any more questions before sprinting back where he came from.</p><p>The two manage to descend the way down and prop him on the table baptized for 'stitch and knit' with minimal grunting from Kirk, who is at least conscious enough to do that.</p><p>Once horizontal, he coughs and growls in pain, his upper lip lifting and fangs coming out.</p><p>"Easy, <em>easy</em>, Kirk."</p><p>They are both covered in blood and smelling as such. James throws a quick look to Cliff, but Cliff's eyes match his in the answer: there will be no need of restrains or dead man's blood injections this time, Kirk is too weak to strike them back with any real strenght.</p><p>"Keep him still," and Cliff's hands leave to find the knife on his holster, while James grips tighter.</p><p>He grits his teeth: this is his least favorite part.</p><p>Heavy, mismatched steps join them.</p><p>"What the fuck happened?" Lars spits through nervous, rigid lips, while he drops two blood sacks on the nearby trail and starts to uncap the first one.</p><p>"Wait," Cliff intercepts him with one hand, "we need to dig out the last bullet, first."</p><p>"Last?"</p><p>He doesn't spare time to answer him, opening up again the already closing wound, making Kirk wail in agony and trash tiredly. James' knuckles go white with effort that shows in his voice.</p><p>"They shot him 4 times, the fuckers, soaked bullets, of course."</p><p>Lars blinks and blinks, gripping the bags, still cold in his hands.</p><p>"Vampires… attacking with their… basically own kryptonite? What—"</p><p>"I don't know, man, I really don’t—"</p><p>A very acute whine makes their heads snaps back towards Kirk's open guts and the twinkling knife.</p><p>"Almost done, Kirk. Almost done. I see it."</p><p>Cliff's eyes are focused as his voice is steady.</p><p>James gains confidence from that tone, and flicks his gaze towards Lars, to share it, but he is away.</p><p>His hand is on Kirk's shoulder, but he is staring at nothing.</p><p>
  <em>(The witchy boy's one-yard stare.)</em>
</p><p>"They did it on purpose. They did it for us," he shakes his head minutely, correcting himself, "they did this for <em>him</em>."</p><p>Only then he looks down <em>–at curly, sweaty, bloody hair—</em> and then up –<em>at crystal, cold, familiar eyes.</em></p><p>"They were <em>targeting</em> him. It was a trap."</p><p>James thinks back to 3 hours before, before the trip back, before driving like mad with Cliff in the back seats opening up again and again Kirk's wounds. He thinks of the abandoned skateboard park, lit only by a lonely streetlamp, how they used the knife only on Kirk, how they waited till they tore his stomach to shoot him.</p><p>
  <em>They are gonna pay. They're gonna hurt.</em>
</p><p>He doesn't say it out loud, but Lars nods firmly –eyes not leaving eyes.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>~</p><p> </p><p>They are on the couch, TV volume low enough to hear Kirk wearily slurping up blood through the purple twisted party straw.</p><p>"How much we have left?"</p><p>He knows it's just a mumble, he knows he sounds bleary to say at least, but he can't muster any more energy; and Lars is used to decipher him.</p><p>"Two more units."</p><p>His voice is so ragged and worn that James looks at him, then up at his blood dripping in the bag, then back at his face.</p><p>He is pale.</p><p>
  <em>(Pale as Kirk.)</em>
</p><p>"Unhook."</p><p>"T's all right."</p><p>"Unhook. It's enough."</p><p>He wants to say <em>you drained yourself enough before we came back </em>and<em> there is still tomorrow</em>, but he is so tired, and words are so <em>long</em>.</p><p>So, when Lars doesn't move, doesn't listen to him, he just slides his fingers on Lars' wrist, encircling it, softly.</p><p>He just lets them rest there, on his pulse, and locks their gazes.</p><p>He wants to move his thumb, gently –just once— but he doesn't.</p><p>And Lars' eyes are big, his lips come unlocked and James feels tendons tense under his fingertips.</p><p>
  <em>(He knows what Lars wants right now, what he is craving.)</em>
</p><p>He looks <em>–asking, asking, <strong>pleading</strong>—</em> and he moves his hand towards the fingers, between them, to hold, <em>clasp</em>.</p><p>But James grips, tight, eyes still.</p><p>
  <em>(I can't.)</em>
</p><p>
  <em>(You know.)</em>
</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>(You know no more.)</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>And Lars' eyes dim, as his arm goes limp in James' hold.</p><p>For a moment, just a flash, he sees pity reflected in them, but Lars is already getting up.</p><p>His wrist has slithered out James' grasp and the other hand is clutching the metal bar –the nearly still empty bag of blood slightly rocking— to lift himself up.</p><p>And he is already moving, already out of reach –always unstoppable, always onto the next move— limping slowly to the table where they left Kirk (plus two cushions), who is still somewhat conscious, somewhat sucking up even with a full stomach, somewhat following <em>The Raven</em>.</p><p>(Despite still being a Bela Lugosi fan, despite having an enormous sense of humor, Kirk was not in the mood for <em>Dracula</em> tonight.)</p><p>James watches Lars dropping on the chair beside Kirk, where Cliff was before taking his turn to shower, and then turns his head back to the movie.</p><p>He does not watch Lars' fingers crawling up but stopping a breath away from Kirk's.</p><p>He does not watch Kirk's head rolling tiredly towards his friend face and his palm turning itself up, open.</p><p>He does not watch Lars cradling their hands together, kindly, nor he sees Lars' face leaning down on them, twined thumbs creasing his soft cheeks.</p><p>He <em>knows</em>, but he doesn't look.</p><p>
  <em>(Those are the friends who hunt with him; those are the ones he chose: </em>
</p><p>
  <em>the one who got turned,</em>
</p><p>
  <em> the one who cried while selling his soul but learned necromancy anyway.)</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>(Those are the ones who with him shaved off ten years each from their own lifespan </em>
</p><p>
  <em>to give their brother six years, six months, six days.)</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>So he cannot.</p><p>He cannot look at them and <strong><em>feel—</em></strong></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>~</p><p> </p><p>When Cliff comes back, his hair still wet, and sags beside him—</p><p>("They are asleep.")</p><p>
  <em>—he pretends not to know.</em>
</p><p>("Oh, yeah?")</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>(A hunter always fakes.)</strong>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>****the changing colour corner****<br/>I hate explanation in fiction, so I tend to say nothing and trust the reader. If you wanna know more stuff about this verse/backstory, read these notes<br/>-they are all hunters, they live in a small, abandoned bunker where they go when they need to regroup<br/>-Kirk is a vampire, he was turned while protecting his sister, who was targeted by the alpha of the Mission's nest who wanted to expand said nest. He went on drinking animals' and his sister's blood, till the gang found him, almost killed him, then recruited him<br/>-Yes, Dave Mustaine was the hunter in the group before Kirk, yes, he was kicked out even in this universe (nothing against him)<br/>-Cliff died in a stupid accident that was not a hunt and they brought him back to life (I'm too lazy to explain how, and how it involves knowing how tulpas work)<br/>-To do that they had to do necromancy stuff, and being Lars the designated "witch boy", as they call him (imagine Cliff's tone while saying 'dick head' and you got it), he was tasked to learn necromancy and zan zan they discovered that to give more time on Earth to Cliff, they had to give up in return their own time on Earth. Also, there is a pretty big chance that Lars' soul is not his anymore. Maybe he sold it, maybe he is consuming it day by day for the spell and he will end up without it. They don't know. Lars cried hard, harsh and ugly tears, but he said yes. <br/>-They gave up 10 years each because 1 hunters' life are short, so they don't know how much they can actually give; 2 if the one giving up his years dies before its time, Cliff also dies; 3 but 30 years burns faster with the spell, and I wanted to throw in a 666 bc if you watched supernatural, you know we love tacky references. They have to find a solution before the clock strikes 0. They have now 4 y 11 m 23 d left. Tick-tock.<br/>-Lars is not a real witch, but he learned spells bc he is curious, hungry and a thief. Also he was tired to be cursed by every witch and coven around the country. He is good at it, when he wants to. Ah, Lars' parents are the only parents, alongside Cliff's, who know about hunting and stuff. They are very supportive and kinda zen about it. Lars' mom is still alive, but when cancer comes, he is so scared to pick up necromancy again.<br/>-Cliff is fucking miserable bc he can't go home. He is a home body, but he can't go back, none of them can. They are known in SF, they are not famous, but being a hunter and the possibility of being recognized in the street.... are two things that don't go well together. So he can never go really back, and he hates it. He is also legally dead (the gang had to steal his corpse, placing in a different morgue to preserve the body, waiting to find the right ingredients for the spell. It was a mess). The Burtons know that Cliff is alive, and once a month they drive to a different undisclosed location to meet with him. Did I mention that Cliff hates this?  <br/>-James is the classic hunter. Dead family. No bonds. Only burned ground. He has no special power, "you are the only not-freak left" they joke, and sometimes he resents them for that. But he wants to stay human, even if he drank demon blood in the past. Is he really just basic human? <br/>-Lars was not hunting with them bc he broke his foot 2 weeks before: he is already walking on the damn thing. But he stayed behind and hook himself up to replenish the stash of blood for Kirk; they take turns, but after Cliff came back, he can't do it anymore bc even if he is alive, his blood counts as the one from a dead man &gt;&gt;&gt; dead man's blood is poison to vampires. So it's James and Lars switching, if they are desperate they steal it from hospitals. Kirk needs it to eat, survive and to heal himself after a fight.<br/>-Cliff had to keep reopening Kirk's wounds bc his vampire physiology kept trying to heal him, but he had bullets soaked in DMB inside and they had to take them out, or Kirk would end up with permanent pain caused by the trapped bullets.<br/>-I transferred what I see James' young adult paranoia for what constitutes being a real man to what constitutes being a real hunter. So he can't let himself hold Lars' hand. He fears what it might mean, of what Lars could ask of him, of Lars maybe wanting or demanding more. He is James: he keeps people at arms' length but wants them close. Contradictory and human. You can read slash in it or not.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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